Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1887-12-21
A JAPANESE GHOST MYTH.
In which IL Is Illustrated How
Love Conuuers Death.

Once upon a time there lived in the
city of kyoto, a poor samuria, who
could find no employment or means OF
support, On account of his poverty he
determined one day to go with friend
TO a distant province. Now, this friend
had Just been appointed Governor OF
the province and promised, when they
arrived, that he would find work Tor
him TO do
This samuria had been married to a
Young. pretty, and charming lady; but
misfortunes overlook him, and when
his wealth was lost lie divorced his
youpg wife, and alas, after a brief in
terval. espoused the daughter of we'll
t0-do nobleman; and now, starting on
his travels from the old city of kyoto,
this second wife jOurneyed with him.
After many months had passed he be-
c.trne rich and honored man and then
began 10 long for his first fair wife,
whose gentle ways and graceful form
were ever in his mind. The remem-
brlnce that he had driven her from
him in poverty and SORROW, and her
patient resignation, gentle obedience
and falling tears, cut him to the heart
He felt that he must see her once again,
10 matter how far the journey. His
constant thoughts were: ''What is she
dong nowl Where IS she to-dayr Z
Does she still remember her unfaithful
husband who drove her from his sider''
All the old love blazed up anew, and
his one hope WAS to return TO the old
home
Just at this time, his kind patron,
the Governor, was called TO Kyoto, and
the samurai learned with delight that
he WAS to accompany him. Only few
days PASSED on the journey, and yet
they seemed like SO many centuries of
time. At night he could not rest, foT
he WIS forever torturing himself with
the thought that he had sent her away
from him without any just cause, and
more than this, that since that day he
had never made any loving inquiries
alb Jut her. 80 soon rs the Governor
and his suite arrived in kyoto, the
samur.li, still III travelling costume,
hurried TO the place where his house
had stood 50 long ago. The gate was
bulJed and everything looked neglected
and distressing. The house itself
being occupied il. Unhappy wife. u
thought he, ''hOw great have been thy
sOrrows," " and he wept bitterly. 1t was
ut the close of the November month,
and night had settled upon the place as
he stepped across the well-known thres-
hold. The pale moonbeams shone
through crevices in the walls, and the
night wind sighed as it circled round
the lonely dwelling.
Startled, yet determined, he entered
the room where formerly he had spent
So many happy hours with the loveliest
of wives, and there, see! in the corner,
bending above the hearth, stood his
dear lost wife. She was quite alone
and strange silence pervaded the
room. Reused from her dreamy
thoughts by his football, the poor lady
saw before her the husband she still
loved SO dearly, and without a word OF
reproach, her face beaming with joy,
she sprang toward him..
''Ah, my beloved one" she exclaim-
ed, whence comeSt thou, and what
brings thee to me?''
II have been far from here" he an
swered, - but my heart has never for
COTTON its love. l come back now,
patient wife, TO turn thy sorrow into
joy; from this time thou shalt never
leave me, and l will keep thee and
cherish thee until 1 die. / have not
come to tell thee the story of the years
away from thee, but to make penance
for the wrong have done thee and i'm
plore thy forgiveness" These tender
words made the poor wife exceedingly
happy and she entreated him to sit at
her side, and then began mutual conf
dence in which they spoke Of the incl
dents of their sad separation.
Every where the Samuria observed
evidence of the greatest poverty.
'Hast thou no one 10 help thee?" he
asked.
NO" she softly replied. '.No one
has been in the house except myself.
for l am very poor.''
The whole night slipped by in ques.
tiOnS and answers and tender plans fol
the future. Sleep did not visit theil
eyelids until the gray dawn.
The sun stood far above the horizon
when the samurai awoke. lie raised
himself TO look at his beloved still
sleeping wife; but who can describe hi.
horror when he saw the stiff outline OF
a crumbling corpse instead of being
warm with life. My eyes deceiv,
Inc, " he thought. and again gazed upoI
the terrible figure. Alas, at his sid,
lay only corpse Half dead with fear
lie ran out CT the gh;.stly chamber ant
soon reached a neighbOr's dwelling
In answer To his loud knocking. til,
owner of the house came 10 the door
and when the almost breathles,
ssimuria asked:
Who lives in yonder house?'' he an,
swered
mo one, the house Is quite desert
ed.''
''Are you quite sure,'' said the sam
ural.
Certainly replied the neighbor
''some time ago there lived there a poo
| lady who had been separated from he
| husband The husband went to a dis
| tant province and left her i'll great poy
erty. She mOurned for him so con
stantly that she became seriously i'll
but as no one offered TO help her sh,
died alone there last summer. and 5,
far rs l know, her corpse NAV still b,
there, for no one offered TO ay her fu
neral expenses" 8"
y great fear fell upon the samurai
upon hearing these words, and he fle,
like one craZed with terror, for now In
knew what had happened. The dea,
wife had not forgotten her love even il
that Land beyond the grave. and tn,
gods had permitted her spirit to stay OF
earth until her husband came back 70
forgiveness. \ sad storyl
| Wrench in "A Printing Press.
y perfecting press, such as mos
| leading newspapers are printed on. i